The Curious Case of Emma Swan
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Emma is feeling weird. Snow and David are scared. Regina has heartbreaking news for them all.
1. Chapter 1

Emma felt…weird.

She didn't know how to explain it. She was still the same as far as she could tell, but something about her just felt off. She was feeling more clingy to her parents, wanting to cuddle by their sides whenever possible. Her drive to do anything for herself was dwindling.

It seemed like Henry wasn't around as much anymore either. He had taken one look at her one morning and then looked sad. She asked what was wrong, but he didn't really respond before leaving. Emma had tried to find her phone, but it wasn't anywhere. David had told her not to worry about work for a few days, that Thomas and Leroy would have it all covered.

Snow and David were panicked.

They had done what they could to cover up the mirrors and try to act as normal as possible around Emma. Regina said that she had seen a spell that would reverse everything and that in a couple of days, Emma would be good as new. She would have no idea that whatever magical mishap that had occurred ever happened. They hated lying to her, but Regina said that since Emma was apparently unaware of her state that she would flip out and that could affect her ability to change back.

Emma was keeping the fact that she felt off from her parents, while Snow and David were hiding the fact that Emma was walking around as a 3-year-old.

Regina hadn't figured out what exactly was wrong and why Emma couldn't tell physically. She was a small toddler, much smaller than one of her age would be. They only knew that was the age based off of Emma's records. According to her, Emma knew better than to practice random magic alone and she would have no need to.

That was until something came forward two days later that seemingly changed the rules of the game: cursed age.

It had been 3 years since the curse was broken. Snow and David had felt themselves aging a bit, not by much. They still appeared to be in their 30s, though moreso in their mid to late, rather than the early they should've been. Regina and other residents of the town felt the same. Their bodies wouldn't change much more than that, but with magic back in town, they were adjusting to their 28-year naps. Henry was immune because he was born in the human world.

However, since Emma was born in the Enchanted Forest, rather than aging with everyone else…her body was doing the opposite. Even her clothes had all been magically been altered to fit her, which was another reason why she saw nothing different. It was just natural to her.

There was no reversing it. There was no cure. Emma Swan was now 3-years-old. She had her memories of her past life for the moment, but it wouldn't be that way forever. Her body had adjusted to the age she was and in time, so would her memory. According to Regina, she'd have all fake memories for the first three years, but it'd be up to Snow and David to create healthy and happy new ones for the future.

They sat down with Emma later that day, unsure of what to say. Emma sat in front of them swinging her legs. She was still the perfect blend of the two of them: David's hair (though the curls she got from them both) and smile, Snow's eyes and chin. There were other little bits others seemed to miss, like how Emma inherited David's arms or Snow's birthmark on her arm. She was just smaller (though it was heartbreaking just how small, being premature had long lasting effects it would seem).

Emma didn't want to believe it at first. David and Snow explained it just as Regina had to them, but she denied feeling any different. It wasn't until they handed her a mirror that she broke down in tears. David and Snow pulled her into their arms, cuddling her close. They rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, trying to whisper soothing words in her ear.

Could anything fix it, though? That was the day Emma's life would change forever. She didn't know how much time she had left, so she asked her parents to bring her by Regina's. Her motor skills were far gone, but using her memories, she had the woman pen letters to her family. One to each of her parents, one to Henry and even one to her younger brother.

She trusted her parents, she knew they'd raise her well. Snow had been a bandit, David a knight. They would never raise that meek princess she had been in the Wish Realm, that had been the Evil Queen's doing to keep her weak. It was their second chance and she had a bittersweet feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Emma wasn't ready to say goodbye to her old life, but she also looked to the new one she could have. One with love, one with a chance to right her mistakes. She had to look on the bright side.

All magic came with a price. The savior had to pay it many times over the years and she would be doing it one last time.

Three days later, David and Snow woke up with someone cuddled up in between them. Neal was too young to know how to scale his crib just yet, so they figured it was Emma. When they looked down at her, her big green eyes were looking up at both of them.

"Mommy, Daddy," she said with a big smile on her face. "What's for breakfast?"

"Emma," Snow said, slowly. "How old are you?"

Emma giggled. "Silly Mommy, I'm this many." She held up three fingers.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma completely de-aging was a very bittersweet process. They mourned the Emma they had gotten to know over the past few years. Even though they hoped to raise her to be the same amazing woman she had been, they knew some of that came from the rough upbringing she endured. Yet, they knew that as much as they were getting a second chance, so was she.

They cherished every moment and recorded every milestone. They learned things about Emma that she had chosen to never tell them. For one, she had ADHD. It explained her constant hyper behavior and her inability to sit still. Dr. Blake, Neal's pediatrician and now Emma's, gave them tips on how to handle it. Things went pretty well after that. Crazy, but still good.

Until Emma started kindergarten.

They knew she struggled, but didn't realize how much until parent teacher conferences. Since Snow was a teacher herself, she couldn't go during the afternoon. Emma's teacher, Ms. K, agreed to meet with her at night. All their sitters were busy, so David stayed home with the kids and Snow attended the meeting.

David was curled up with a book when he heard the door open and close. A year after Emma de-aged, they realized the loft was too small for them, so they bought a farm house near the edge of town. David became a stay-at-home dad, his dream, while also tending to the animals and selling their wares to the businesses and families in town. With Emma now in school, however, it was just him and 4-year-old, Neal. Even he would be starting pre-school in the spring.

"How was your night?" Snow asked, taking off her heels as she entered the room.

"We are raising little terrorists," he said with a chuckle, setting down his book. "Emma convinced Neal to bake cookies, luckily I caught them in the prep period. Flour was everywhere." While normally a story like that would make Snow playfully roll her eyes and giggle, that night, she sighed and sat beside him. "I cleaned it up, though, and both got baths before bed." He stroked her cheek. "You okay?"

"I want to kill Ms. K."

David winced. "What's wrong? Did the conference go bad?"

"She just kept going and on about how Emma won't sit still. She won't leave her table anymore, but I guess her wiggling is a problem. She admitted she's been better about talking to other kids when she's not supposed to, but kept bringing up that she's not up to her level academically. Because of Emma's dyslexia-which she kept putting in air quotes by the way-she wants to hold her back a year."

"But the specialist said that's not necessary. She's perfectly caught up in other subjects."

"Ms. K doesn't care. She heavily implied she just thinks that Emma isn't trying hard enough. You know things like dyslexia and ADHD weren't found in the Enchanted Forest. People had them, but there was no proper diagnosis. They were thought of as problem children." Snow sighed. "She just isn't interested in helping Emma. And while the specialist helps, she said that Emma needs a good support team behind her when she learns."

David frowned. According to the records from her first childhood, Emma hadn't received much help either. They couldn't let her slip through the cracks again. She saw a specialist in Harpswell three days a week, but it would do her no good if she was with a teacher who couldn't help her further. Their options were limited as Ms. K was the only kindergarten teacher and the school was the only one in town. It'd be too risky to send her to another outside of it. It was time for David's Plan B.

"I never liked Ms. K," David said. "I actually have been looking into something, I hope you'd be down for it."

"I'm open to any suggestions."

"What if I homeschooled her?"

"Huh?"

"You were, I was too by my mother. In this realm, it's much more heard of. I've found kits and have been working with the specialist to learn how to help her learn better. She gave me book recommendations for homeschooling a child with ADHD and dyslexia."

Snow softly smiled. "And you want to do this?"

"Yes. Emma does so much better at home. She's in karate and Ella and Thomas live close by, so she'll still see friends. I already take Neal on educational day trips, I can expand that for Emma." He was rambling, but he had been thinking about it for months. He wanted Emma to have the best education possible.

Snow kissed David, both as a way to get him to shut up while also feeling so enamored by how deeply he cared for Emma. "I think it's a great idea and if Emma's down for it, so am I."

As it turned out, Emma was thrilled. She hated school, but loved when her parents helped her with her homework or the exercises the specialist gave her. Getting to learn from her dad would be the best thing ever in her mind. So, once the kits were ordered and it was all sorted out with the school, Emma was officially homeschooled.

Her mood and behavior only improved, it was clear that she was learning a lot. David and Snow couldn't be happier. There was no way they'd let their baby girl fall through the cracks again.


End file.
